A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Week 3 Begins: “This past week, we’ve explored boundaries as acts of care — the small ways we protect our energy, honor our capacity, and stay close to what feels true. This week, we’re exploring connection — the kind that comes from truth, tenderness, and compassion. Not forced connection. Not holiday performance. But the real, humankind that meets you exactly where you are.”

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 15 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Carrying What Matters Forward- A Daily Journal Prompt:
“What truth from this past week do I want to carry with me — and what can I gently set down?”

Today’s Reflection

As Week Two comes to a close yesterday , today’s episode helps you reflect on what has supported you, what has drained you, and what truths you want to carry with you into the coming days. You are encouraged to honor your inner guidance as you move into a new week.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” — Pablo Neruda

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Carry forward only what supports you.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 14 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Journal Prompt

What could it look like to let today be softer on my spirit — in one small, honest way?

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode invites you into the gentleness of a Sunday in December — a day to slow down, feel your truth, and tend to your heart without pressure or expectation.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “The times are urgent; let us slow down.” — Bayo Akomolafe

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Let today be soft in whatever ways you need.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 13 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

The Impossible Math of Time (Our Birthday) - A Daily Journal Prompt:
“How has grief reshaped my sense of time — and who have I become in the years between then and now?”

Today’s Reflection

Today's reflection honors the impossible math of grief and time — especially on birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones. You’re invited to acknowledge every layer: the ache, the gratitude, the survival, the identity changes, and the love that continues.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “Where there is deep wound, there is deep understanding.” — John O’Donohue

A Gentle Closing Reminder

You’re allowed to feel every layer of this day.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 12 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

 The Softness of the Weekend - A Daily Journal Prompt

If I offered myself one simple act of care this weekend, what would it look like — and why does that matter to my heart?

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode honors the softness of the weekend and invites you into self-care that feels real and honest for your grieving heart. Rest becomes an act of protection and an expression of tenderness.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “Rest is not a luxury; it is a spiritual discipline.” — Cole Arthur Riley

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Let the weekend meet you where you are.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 11 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Honoring What Helps, Releasing What Hurts - A Daily Journal Prompt: What helped me breathe a little easier today… and what felt too heavy to hold?

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode invites you to honor the shifting landscape of your grief — the changes in energy, tenderness, and resilience that shape each day in December. You're encouraged to let today be exactly what it is, without forcing it to match yesterday.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “If you listen closely, the body will tell you where it wants to be.” — Victoria Erikson

A Gentle Closing Reminder

You’re allowed to let every day be different.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 10 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

When ‘No’ Becomes a Gift- A Daily Journal Prompt:
“Where in my life does saying ‘no’ feel like an act of self-preservation — and how might I offer myself compassion for that?”

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode explores the power of “no” as an act of care — not a rejection, not avoidance, but a way of honoring your heart, your capacity, and the realities of grief during December. Whether you’re surviving, stabilizing, rebuilding, or integrating, you’re invited to let your boundaries protect what matters most.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” — Audre Lorde

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Your “no” isn’t selfish — it’s sacred.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 9 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

The Quiet Yes, The Quiet No --A Daily Journal Prompt:
“What quiet yes or quiet no is whispering inside me today — and what would it feel like to honor it?”

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode explores the small but powerful choices we make in grief — the quiet yeses and quiet nos that guide us through the emotional terrain of December. Whether you’re barely surviving, gently rebuilding, or learning to integrate grief with moments of joy, you’re invited to listen for what your heart is softly asking today.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “If someone does not want me, it is not the end of the world. But if I do not want me, the world is nothing.” — Nayyirah Waheed

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Even your smallest yes — and your smallest no — deserve respect.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com
💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces
💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 8 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Boundaries as Care -- A Daily Journal Prompt:
“What is one boundary my heart is asking for today — and what truth does that boundary protect?”

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode opens Week Two with a tender look at boundaries — not as walls, but as acts of care that protect your energy through the complexity of December. Whether you’re surviving, rebuilding, or evolving into a life touched by both grief and meaning, this reflection invites you to honor what your heart can hold today.

Community Note (for moms)

Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern is our Second Monday Support Meeting inside The Lighthouse Community.
If you’re not a member yet, your first month is free so you can join gently and see if the space supports you.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “I love the thing that I most wish had not happened.” — Stephen Colbert
– Reflections on grief, compassion, and capacity

A Gentle Closing Reminder

Your boundaries are allowed to shift as you shift.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com

💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces

💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 7 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Today’s Reflection

Seven days into December, today’s episode reflects on the strength, tenderness, and full humanity required to move through this month while living with suicide loss. You’re reminded that wherever you are in your grief — surviving, rebuilding, evolving, or integrating — your presence in this moment matters.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “Grief is like a cruel kind of education.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– “We keep those we’ve lost alive by the way we remember them.” — Anderson Cooper

A Gentle Closing Reminder

What you’ve carried this week — and how you’ve carried it — is enough.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com

💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces

💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line

A daily December series offering tender, truthful support for surviving the holidays after suicide loss — with grief, grace, and gentle company.

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything!
👉 The Leftover Pieces App

This is December 6 — Welcome, Fellow Griever

Today’s Reflection

Today’s episode honors rest as both resistance and renewal. Whether you're barely surviving, rebuilding your foundation, or beginning to reconnect with moments of joy or purpose, this reflection invites you to trust the wisdom of your energy and move through the day in a way that supports your grieving heart.

Quoted or Referenced In This Episode

– “Grief is not a problem to be solved; it’s an experience to be carried.” — Megan Devine
– Reflections from Anderson Cooper on carrying grief and love together

A Gentle Closing Reminder

However, rest shows up for you today, let it be enough.

Stay Connected

💜 TheLeftoverPieces.com

💜 Instagram @theleftoverpieces 

💜 Download the Leftover Pieces App

Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below

🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail

Support After Suicide Loss

If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.

Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com 

or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join

If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line